Agness Landau

The New Great Game Round-Up: November 30, 2016

The Great Game Round-Up brings you the latest newsworthy developments regarding Central Asia and the Caucasus region. We document the struggle for influence, power, hegemony and profits between a U.S.-dominated NATO, its GCC proxies, Russia, China and other regional players. China Urges Turkey to Extradite Embassy Bombing Suspects to Kyrgyzstan Three months after the ChineseContinue reading “The New Great Game Round-Up: November 30, 2016”

The Disastrous Track Record of the New ‘Leader of the Free World’

Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election came as a shock to many, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel has made no secret of her admiration for Hillary Clinton. “I admire her strategic thinking and her strong commitment to the trans-Atlantic partnership,” Merkel told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper in an interview earlierContinue reading “The Disastrous Track Record of the New ‘Leader of the Free World’”

The New Great Game Round-Up: November 14, 2016

The Great Game Round-Up brings you the latest newsworthy developments regarding Central Asia and the Caucasus region. We document the struggle for influence, power, hegemony and profits between a U.S.-dominated NATO, its GCC proxies, Russia, China and other regional players. Turkish-Russian Rapprochement bodes ill for NATO's Chechen 'Rebels' Long before NATO member Turkey started floodingContinue reading “The New Great Game Round-Up: November 14, 2016”

Germany’s Social Democrats to Challenge Merkel with ‘Pro-Russian’ Ostpolitik 2.0

In June of this year, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier shocked the political and media establishment in Germany and other NATO countries when he criticized NATO military exercises in Eastern Europe, saying: “What we should not do now, however, is further inflame the situation with loud sabre-rattling and war cries. Anyone who believes that symbolicContinue reading “Germany’s Social Democrats to Challenge Merkel with ‘Pro-Russian’ Ostpolitik 2.0”

Porkins Great Game: Episode #16 – Moderate Rebels & Heroin Warlords

After a long hiatus, Pearse Redmond and I are finally back with a new episode of Porkins Great Game. We start off by looking at the recent parliamentary elections in Georgia and the latest Saakashvili scandal. Our second segment focuses on Afghanistan. We talk about Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's return, the Qatar talks and the growing riftContinue reading “Porkins Great Game: Episode #16 – Moderate Rebels & Heroin Warlords”

The New Great Game Round-Up: October 31, 2016

The Great Game Round-Up brings you the latest newsworthy developments regarding Central Asia and the Caucasus region. We document the struggle for influence, power, hegemony and profits between a U.S.-dominated NATO, its GCC proxies, Russia, China and other regional players. China's Growing Security Role in Central Asia China appears to be taking a more proactiveContinue reading “The New Great Game Round-Up: October 31, 2016”

Washington War Party Urges Obama to Go to War against Assad & the Russians

On October 21, The Washington Post published a noteworthy op-ed titled “Bring Syria’s Assad and his backers to account now,” written by retired U.S. Marine General John Allen and self-proclaimed Syria expert Charles Lister. Allen is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and serves on the board of advisors of The Washington Institute forContinue reading “Washington War Party Urges Obama to Go to War against Assad & the Russians”

The New Great Game Round-Up: October 18, 2016

The Great Game Round-Up brings you the latest newsworthy developments regarding Central Asia and the Caucasus region. We document the struggle for influence, power, hegemony and profits between a U.S.-dominated NATO, its GCC proxies, Russia, China and other regional players. Georgia Elections: Russia Wins, Saakashvili Loses The run-up to the parliamentary elections in Georgia underlinedContinue reading “The New Great Game Round-Up: October 18, 2016”

The Jaber al-Bakr Story: How a White Helmets Volunteer Almost Blew Up Berlin Airport

The two-day manhunt, spectacular arrest and shocking death of a Syrian terrorism suspect in Germany have attracted a lot of attention and raised a lot of questions. On October 8, German police raided an apartment in the eastern city of Chemnitz after being tipped off by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency. They found 1.5 kilograms ofContinue reading “The Jaber al-Bakr Story: How a White Helmets Volunteer Almost Blew Up Berlin Airport”

Syria ‘Cease-Fire’ Brings U.S. & Russia Closer to War

On October 3, the United States announced that it is suspending talks with Russia over the conflict in Syria, accusing Moscow of not living up to its commitments under the September 9 cease-fire agreement as well as its obligations under international humanitarian law and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.[1] When the U.S. State DepartmentContinue reading “Syria ‘Cease-Fire’ Brings U.S. & Russia Closer to War”